Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on improving fishing capacity and effort indicators under the common fisheries policy
Date: 2007-02-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common fisheries policy, fishery management, fishing controls, fishing fleet, fishing vessel

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 5.2.2007 
COM(2007) 39 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

on improving fishing capacity and effort indicators under the common fisheries policy 

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

on improving fishing capacity and effort indicators under the common fisheries policy 

Table of contents 

1. 

2. 

2.1. 

2.2. 

3. 

Objective of this Communication ................................................................................ 3 

Definition of fishing capacity and fishing effort.......................................................... 3 

Fishing capacity ........................................................................................................... 3 

Fishing effort................................................................................................................ 3 

Quantification of fishing capacity................................................................................ 4 

3.1. 

Fishing capacity indicators based on vessel characteristics......................................... 4 

3.1.1.  Tonnage of a fishing vessel.......................................................................................... 4 

3.1.2.  Power of a fishing vessel.............................................................................................. 5 

3.1.3.  Other fishing capacity indicators based on vessel characteristics................................ 6 

3.2. 

Fishing capacity indicators based on fishing gear........................................................ 6 

3.2.1.  Fishing gear type and size. Efficiency and selectivity ................................................. 6 

3.2.2.  Fishing capacity indicators for trawls .......................................................................... 7 

3.2.3.  Fishing capacity indicators for longlines ..................................................................... 7 

3.2.4.  Fishing capacity indicators for seines .......................................................................... 7 

3.2.5.  Fishing capacity indicators for pots ............................................................................. 7 

3.2.6.  Fishing capacity indicators for gillnets and trammel nets............................................ 7 

3.2.7.  Control and enforcement.............................................................................................. 7 

4. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

6. 

7. 

Technological progress ................................................................................................ 8 

Fishing activity............................................................................................................. 9 

Definition of fishing activity........................................................................................ 9 

Recording and monitoring of activity; logbook ........................................................... 9 

The way forward ........................................................................................................ 10 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 11 

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1. 

OBJECTIVE OF THIS COMMUNICATION 

The  adjustment  of  the  capacity  of  the  fleets  to  their  available  fishing  opportunities  and  the 
limitation  of  fishing  effort  where  it  is  required  for  the  conservation  of  fish  stocks  are  key 
management instruments of the Common Fisheries Policy. 

The aim of this Communication is to open a debate on the most appropriate way to quantify 
fishing capacity and fishing effort in the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy. 

2. 

DEFINITION OF FISHING CAPACITY AND FISHING EFFORT  

2.1. 

Fishing capacity 

Fishing capacity is defined as the ability of a vessel or group of vessels to catch fish1. There 
are two approaches to the quantification of capacity. 

The economic approach equates the capacity of a vessel or group of vessels to the maximum 
output,  or  maximum  amount  of  fish  than  can  potentially  be  caught  over  a  certain  period  of 
time, provided that the vessels are fully utilised and the stocks remain in a healthy condition. 

The other approach, generally adopted for fisheries management, bases the quantification of 
fishing  capacity  on  the  ‘potential’  for  fleets  to  constitute  an  input  to  the  fishery  in  terms  of 
generation  of  fishing  mortality.  This  quantification  of  the  maximum  potential  input  may  be 
based on vessel or fishing gear characteristics. These vessel or gear characteristics may also 
be referred to as fishing capacity parameters. 

In the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy, fishing capacity has so far been quantified 
on  the  basis  of  vessel  characteristics.  This  approach  dates  back  to  the  first  multiannual 
guidance programmes adopted in the early 1980’s. The fishing capacity indicators chosen at 
the  time  were  vessel  tonnage  and  engine  power,  and  these  have  been  included  in  the  basic 
regulation of the Common Fisheries Policy2, which also provides for the possibility to define 
fishing capacity in terms of the amount and/or the size of fishing gear. 

2.2. 

Fishing effort 

Community  law  defines  fishing  effort  for  a  vessel  as  the  product  of  its  capacity  and  its 
activity. For a group of vessels, the fishing effort is defined as the sum of the fishing effort of 
each vessel.  

Fishing effort may be thought of as an energy input, where capacity represents the power and 
activity  represents  the  time  during  which  the  power  is  used.  This  is  particularly 
straightforward when capacity is defined as vessel power (see 3.1.2). 

1 

2 

Gréboval D. (ed.) Managing fishing capacity: selected papers on underlying concepts and issues. FAO 
Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 386. Rome, FAO. 1999. 
Article  3  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  2371/2002  of  20  December  2002  on  the  conservation  and 
sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources under the Common Fisheries Policy. 

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3. 

QUANTIFICATION OF FISHING CAPACITY 

3.1. 

Fishing capacity indicators based on vessel characteristics 

It is common practice to quantify capacity on the basis of vessel characteristics. This approach 
is simple and relatively easy to enforce, at least in respect of tonnage. Tonnage and power are 
the two most commonly used indicators, although there are alternatives.  

3.1.1.  Tonnage of a fishing vessel 

The  tonnage  of  vessel  is  a  function  of  all  or  part  of  its  enclosed  volume.  There  are  various 
systems  to  calculate  the  tonnage  of  a  vessel  and  they  differ  essentially  in  respect  of  the 
volumes taken into account for the calculation. 

In the early days of the CFP, Member States applied different standards to measure tonnage. 
Only vessels over 24 m in length that made international trips were measured by means of a 
common system across the Community, since they were subject to the London Convention3. 

In  1994,  the  Council  adopted  the  current  tonnage  definition  that  applies  to  all  Community 
fishing  vessels4.  For  vessels  of  15  m  or  more  in  overall  length,  tonnage  is  calculated  as  a 
function of the total enclosed volume as defined by the London Convention, while for vessels 
of less than 15 m the total enclosed volume is replaced by an estimate of the hull’s volume (a 
function of length, breadth and depth). 

Since the end of 2003, all Community fishing vessels have been measured in accordance with 
a  common  definition  of  tonnage.  This  is  an  important  achievement  for  the  CFP.  However, 
from time to time fishermen request that certain spaces within the vessel should be exempted 
from  the  calculation  of  tonnage  or  even  from  the  entry-exit  regime5.  In  the  Commission’s 
view,  this  would  represent  a  backwards  step  that  would  undermine  the  current  capacity 
management  measures.  In  the  past,  tonnage  was  measured  in  different  ways  in  the  Member 
States, but common to all of them was the fact that certain spaces were not taken into account 
in the calculation. This made the system complicated and encouraged the mis-declaration of 
the use of spaces in order to be able to replace an old vessel by a bigger one. 

Experience shows that the current definition of tonnage is satisfactory and there are no plans 
to fundamentally change it. 

This  being  said,  small  improvements  in  the  application  of  the  Community  tonnage 
measurement  standard  could  still  be  made,  such  as  defining  the  precision  required  in 
calculating GT or the way to calculate volume in particular circumstances, as in the case of 
catamaran vessels of less than 15 m in length.  

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5 

International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships signed in London in 1969.  
Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  2930/86  defining  the  characteristics  of  fishing  vessels.  Council 
Regulation (EC) No 3259/94 of 22 December 1994 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2930/86 defining 
the  characteristics  of  fishing  vessels.  Commission  Decision  of  20  March  1995  concerning  the 
implementation of the Annex to Council Regulation (ECC) No 2930/86 defining the characteristics of 
fishing vessels. 
In  accordance  with  the  entry-exit  regime  established  by  Article  13  of  Council  Regulation  (EC)  No 
2371/2002, any entry of capacity into a the fleet of a Member State has to be compensated by the exit of 
at least the same capacity expressed both in terms of tonnage and power. 

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The current provisions are set up in three legal texts: Council Regulation (EEC) No 2930/86, 
Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  3259/94  amending  the  former,  and  the  implementing 
Commission Decision 95/84/EC. In order to simplify Community law, the Commission will 
propose a new consolidated Council regulation defining the characteristics of fishing vessels 
to replace the current texts.  

3.1.2.  Power of a fishing vessel 

The  power  of  a  fishing  vessel  is  defined  in  Community  law6  as  the  total  of  the  maximum 
continuous power obtained at the flywheel of each engine and which can be applied to vessel 
propulsion.  Therefore,  under  Community  law,  the  power  of  a  fishing  vessel  means  its 
propulsive power.  

Vessels also make use of what is generally referred to as ‘auxiliary power’. Auxiliary power 
may  be  defined  as  the  total  power  installed  on  board  not  included  in  the  definition  of 
propulsive  power.  Auxiliary  power  covers  the  following  needs:  equipment  associated  with 
propulsion  (pumps,  rudder,  etc),  equipment  for  fishing  operations,  equipment  for  fish 
processing  and  conservation,  accommodation  (lighting,  heating,  cooking)  and  electronic 
equipment for fishing or navigation. 

The  share  of  auxiliary  power  in  the  total  power  of  a  fishing  vessel  has  become  significant, 
especially for big trawlers. Increased auxiliary power has allowed the use of bigger nets and 
has made it possible to fish at great depths. For these reasons, the Commission will propose to 
Member States that auxiliary power be included in the definition of fishing capacity. 

The  current  system  of  measurement  and  certification  of  engine  power  has  serious 
shortcomings.  An  engine  can  be  certified  with  a  power  much  lower  than  its  maximum 
continuous  power.  The  lower  power  rating  (de-rating)  is  generally  achieved  by  means  of 
adjustments to the fuel injection settings when the engine is certified. These adjustments are 
easily reversible and, as a result, the real power output once the engine is installed on board is 
almost impossible to monitor or verify. 

The Commission is working on finding a new system to certify engine power so the certified 
power should correspond to the real maximum continuous power; as a result, similar engines 
should be given similar ratings. 

This  issue  is  technically  complex  and  cannot  be  resolved  without  the cooperation  of  engine 
manufacturers,  classification  societies  and  the  administrations  responsible  for  certification 
procedures in the Member States. 

Implementation  of  a  new  power  certification  system  will  require  new  legal  provisions 
replacing Article 5 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2930/86. The new provisions should also 
include the definition of auxiliary power as part of the capacity definition. The Commission 
has conceived to base the certification of engine power on the existing certificate of emission 
of nitrogen oxides issued under the provisions of Annex IV to the MARPOL Convention7, but 
this solution needs further technical assessment. 

6 
7 

Article 5 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2930/86 defining the characteristics of fishing vessels. 
International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol 
of 1978 relating thereto (MARPOL 73/78) 

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3.1.3.  Other fishing capacity indicators based on vessel characteristics 

Other capacity  indicators based on vessel characteristics  may be  used, although  they do not 
appear to add much value compared to tonnage and power: 

The  volume  of  fish  holds  is  sometimes  used  as  an  indicator  of  a  fishing  vessel's  carrying 
capacity. For demersal fisheries this indicator seems to be largely irrelevant, since fish holds 
are rarely filled up. Conversely pelagic trawlers and purse seiners often have the duration of 
their fishing trips cut short by the size of their fish holds. However, this indicator is strongly 
correlated with vessel volume (i.e. GT tonnage), and is difficult to monitor.  

Freezing  capacity  may  also  be  considered  as  a  suitable  indicator  of  capacity.  Freezing 
capacity  is  the  mass  of  fish  that  can  be  frozen per unit of time and  it is a limiting factor in 
certain  fisheries.  However,  freezing  capacity  would  be  very  difficult  to  certify  and  monitor. 
Auxiliary  power  could  be  used  as  a  proxy  for  freezing  capacity,  because  freezing  and 
refrigerating processes require a large amount of energy; this would be another argument in 
favour of including auxiliary power in the calculation of vessel capacity. 

Bollard  pull  has  been  proposed  as  a  suitable  indicator  for  trawlers.  It  is  defined  as  the 
maximum force that may be exerted by a vessel when pulling against a fixed point. Bollard 
pull has always been a contractual value for tug vessels (and often for trawlers) and there are 
standard  methods  to  measure  it.  However,  measuring  it  is  expensive  and  would  suffer  from 
the same problem of under-declaration that affects engine power; if the engine is de-rated, the 
pull measured would be also lower. 

3.2. 

Fishing capacity indicators based on fishing gear 

3.2.1.  Fishing gear type and size. Efficiency and selectivity 

The  characteristics,  and  especially  the  size,  of  fishing  gear  can  be  taken  as  representing  the 
potential of a vessel to generate fishing mortality. If the type and size of the fishing gear that 
fishermen  are  allowed  to  use  in  a  certain  fishery  are  well  defined,  fishing  capacity  may  be 
easier to quantify on the basis of that information. 

Efficiency and selectivity. 

There  is  no  clear  separation  between  the  characteristics  of  a  fishing  gear  that  affect  its 
efficiency (general ability to fish) and those that affect its selectivity (ability to discriminate 
between species or sizes of fish). The Commission would propose that fishing gear type and 
size be considered to relate to efficiency, and therefore to potential to fish or fishing capacity, 
while  some  fishing  gear  characteristics,  such  as  mesh  size  or  separation  devices,  should  be 
considered to influence selectivity. Although this approach is a simplification, it does serve to 
distinguish management measures aimed at limiting capacity from those aimed at improving 
selectivity. 

The  Commission  will  take  this  into  account  in  the  drafting  of  forthcoming  legislative 
proposals in the fields of capacity management and technical conservation measures. 

Type of fishing gear 

When trying to quantify fishing capacity on the basis of the fishing gear it may be useful to 
classify fishing gears into two groups, according to whether they remain attached to the vessel 

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or not. When fishing gears remain attached to the vessel, their fishing time can be estimated 
on the basis of the vessel’s time at sea. This is the case for trawls and seines, as well as some 
types of longlines. If the fishing gear is left on the fishing grounds while the vessel sets other 
gears  or  goes  back  to  port,  the  measurement  of  fishing  time  or  activity  may  become 
independent of the time spent at sea by the vessel and more difficult to measure. This would 
be the case for set gill-nets, trammel nets or pots. 

3.2.2.  Fishing capacity indicators for trawls 

Trawling  essentially  consists  of  filtering  water.  Assuming  an  optimum  trawling  speed 
depending on the targeted species, the surface opening of the net measured in square metres 
(m2) gives a reasonable quantification of fishing capacity. 

Demersal and pelagic trawling could both be characterized by the surface opening described 
above.  Beam  trawls  may  be  characterized  by  the  length  of  the  beam,  which  determines  the 
surface of the opening for this type of trawl. 

3.2.3.  Fishing capacity indicators for longlines 

The fishing capacity of longlines may be quantified by the number of hooks or, if the distance 
between hooks is kept constant, by the length of the longline. 

3.2.4.  Fishing capacity indicators for seines 

The capacity of purse seines may be characterised by the total length of the net, the depth of 
the net being  characteristic of the  target  species. Attention should be paid to the use of fish 
aggregating  devices  (FAD),  which  may  increase  capacity  to  an  extent  difficult  to  quantify. 
Seines are always attached to the vessel.  

3.2.5.  Fishing capacity indicators for pots 

The  capacity  in  a  pot  fishery  may  be  quantified  by  the  number  and  size  of  pots.  Other 
characteristics of pots, such as their shape, the size of the openings and certain specifications 
on the materials used, would very much depend on the particular fishery and could be defined 
as technical measures. 

3.2.6.  Fishing capacity indicators for gillnets and trammel nets 

The  fishing  capacity  of  these  nets  is  directly  related  to  their  size,  so  the  number  of  nets, 
together  with  their  length  and  depth,  would  be  appropriate  capacity  indicators.  Surface  area 
per  net  could  also  be  used  instead.  Mesh  sizes  and  other  characteristics  are  specified  as 
technical measures.  

3.2.7.  Control and enforcement 

It is commonly agreed that any system that manages capacity or effort in terms of fishing gear 
indicators  would  be  more  difficult  to  monitor  and  enforce  than  a  system  based  on  vessel 
characteristics. For such a system to be effective it has to rely on a strong commitment by the 
authorities and stakeholders to enforcement. This would only be possible in a well-delimited 
fishing  zone  and  for  a  well-defined  group  of  vessels,  ideally  having  exclusive  access  to  the 
fishery. 

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4. 

TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS 

One of the main drawbacks for fishing capacity indicators based on vessel characteristics is 
that they cannot easily take into account the effect of technological progress. 

It  is  generally  accepted  that,  today,  an  average  ‘state  of  the  art’  vessel  fishes  considerably 
more  quantity  than  a  vessel  of  equivalent  tonnage  did  30  years  ago.  However,  this 
phenomenon  is  difficult  to  quantify.  Some  studies  indicate  yearly  increases  in  productivity 
due  to  technological  advances  of  between  1  and  3  %8  or  even  higher  figures  for  certain 
fisheries.  Examples  of  technological  improvements  that  have  contributed  to  this  increase  in 
real fishing capacity are: 

–  The use of controllable pitch propellers or nozzles does not increase vessel power, 
as defined by Community law, but it does increase the efficiency with which this 
power  is  used.  The  same  engine  power  output  may  produce  a  higher  pull  when 
trawling or a higher sailing speed. 

–  Electronics in the form of fish-finding equipment or equipment for the control of 
gear  position  are  examples  of  improvements  in  vessel  efficiency  that  cannot  be 
represented by a measurable parameter. The same is true for electronic devices to 
control the position of the trawl that make its use much more efficient. 

–  The  use  of  satellite  data  to  determine  the  probable  location  of  tuna  stocks  is 
another  example.  This  technique  allows  the  tuna  vessels  to  reduce  their  search 
time to the benefit of fishing time, thus increasing catch per fishing trip. 

–  More powerful deck equipment allows a vessel to haul and pull the net more times 
per day, thus increasing effective catch, while the size of the boat, its propulsive 
power and the number of days spent fishing remain unchanged. 

–  The  design  of  trawls  has  been  improved  in  various  ways  in  order  to  reduce  the 
force  that  is  required  to  pull  them  through  the  water.  Stronger  material  allows 
thinner fibres and this makes the trawl offer less resistance when moving through 
the water. The hydrodynamic design of the doors and of the trawl shape has also 
been  improved  to  reduce  resistance,  which  allows  a  given  boat  to  use  a  bigger 
trawl. 

The effect of technological progress on fishing capacity is probably too complex an issue to 
be  integrated  explicitly  into  fisheries  management  measures.  The  management  of  fishing 
capacity  on  the  basis  of  fishing  gear  type  and  size  has  the  advantage  to  avoid  part  of  the 
difficulty by establishing limitations at fishing gear level. 

Standardisation and technological progress. 

The  quantification  and  limitation  of  fishing  capacity  and  fishing  effort  on  the  basis  of  the 
fishing  gear  characteristics  involves  a  certain  degree  of  standardisation  of  gear  types,  sizes 
and other characteristics such as mesh size or hook shape. This standardisation may hamper 
technical progress and, consequently, gear efficiency. 

8 

Report  on  efficiency  and  productivity  in  fish  capture  operations  ICES  Working  Group  on  Fish 
Technology and Fish Behaviour Report 2004. 

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5. 

FISHING ACTIVITY 

5.1. 

Definition of fishing activity 

Fishing  activity  is  defined  as  the  time  during  which  the  fishing  capacity  of  a  vessel  is 
effectively operating. In Community law, fishing activity refers to the vessel’s activity and is 
measured in days. However, it could be defined more precisely for some fisheries on the basis 
of the time during which the fishing gear is in operation. 

Vessel’s activity 

This concept applies currently to the recovery plans for cod and hake and as well as to Annex 
II  to  the  2006  TAC  and  quota  regulation,  where  the  vessels'  activity  is  managed  as  days 
present in the area and absent from port. It also applies to the computation of fishing effort in 
the Western waters regime9, where activity is defined as time spent in a well defined area. For 
vessels based near their fishing grounds, the two previous definitions are equivalent. 

In  addition  to  the  previous  definition,  the  rules  on  fishing  activity  need  to  establish  clearly 
how to calculate the number of days. For example, it is necessary to establish whether days 
are taken as calendar days or as the number of hours divided by 24 and explain how fractions 
of a day are dealt with. 

Fishing gear activity. Soak time. 

A more accurate and, in theory, better indicator to measure activity would be the actual time 
spent  fishing,  i.e.  the  time  during  which  the  fishing  gear  is  actively  in  the  water,  or  "soak 
time".  However,  soak  time  of  fixed  gear  is  generally  difficult  or  expensive  to  monitor 
properly since pots, nets and other fixed gear may be left in the water while the vessel goes 
elsewhere or returns to port. They can also be laid by one boat and recovered by another, and 
they can also be set permanently. 

5.2. 

Recording and monitoring of activity; logbook 

The logbook should in principle provide for the possibility of recording all the data necessary 
to  calculate  activity  in  different  ways.  The  skippers  should  fill  in  the  appropriate  data 
depending on the fishing regime under which they fish. Two main sets of data are relevant in 
relation to activity: 

(a) 

Vessel data: geographical position at different times 

(b) 

Gear data: time spent in the water by fishing operation. 

Monitoring  of  the  vessel’s  activity  has  to  be  based  on  data  from  the  logbook  and  from  the 
VMS  (Vessel  Monitoring  System).  The  future  implementation  of  the  electronic  logbook 
would enhance the possibilities to monitor activity accurately and timely.  

9 

Council Regulation (EC) No 1954/2003 of 4 November 2003 on the management of the fishing effort 
relating to certain Community fishing areas and resources and modifying Regulation (EC) No 2847/93 
and repealing Regulations (EC) No 685/95 and (EC) No 2027/95 

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6. 

THE WAY FORWARD 

In relation to the current capacity indicators, the Commission considers that the definition of a 
fishing vessel’s tonnage is adequate and properly implemented, and therefore does not require 
any  major  changes.  The  certification  of  the  power  of  fishing  vessels,  however,  is  not 
satisfactory.  The  Commission  services  will  continue  their  discussions  with  Member  States, 
engine  manufacturers,  classification  societies  and  fishermen's  representatives  in  order  to 
improve the current certification system established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2930/86 
defining the characteristics of fishing vessels. 

With regard to the adoption of capacity and effort indicators based on fishing gear size and 
characteristics, no such moves have been made so far. The issue is highly technical and would 
require fine-tuned monitoring and control and hence, further consultation in order to properly 
assess this possibility. 

Fisheries that are currently identified by fishing area, targeted species and type of fishing gear 
may  be  the  best  candidates  for  implementing  limitations  of  capacity  and  effort  based  on 
fishing  gear.  For  these  fisheries,  fishing  authorisations  could  be  envisaged  in  the  form  of  a 
maximum  amount  of  activity  carried  out  with  a  well  defined  type  and  size  of  fishing  gear 
(standardisation).  However,  there  are  a  number  of  issues  that  would  need  to  be  addressed 
before implementing such an approach in Community law: 

•  Compatibility  with  current  fishing  effort  limitations  and  the  ‘denomination’  of  fishing 

authorisations based on vessel characteristics, i.e. tonnage and power. 

•  Possibility  to  eliminate  capacity  limitations  based  on  vessel  characteristics,  where  a 
management regime based solely on fishing gear is applied. In other words, could a fishing 
authorization-based  system  be  established  independently  from  the  power  or  tonnage  of 
vessels?  

•  Finally, the embedding of such a system of effort management into the system of overall 
capacity  limitations  established  by  Community law  (entry-exit  regime)  would  need  to  be 
resolved. 

While  awaiting  the  outcome  of  this  discussion,  the  Commission  considers  that  the  current 
situation  of  many  European  fisheries  would  in  any  case  justify  the  adoption  of  measures  to 
prevent further increases in fishing effort resulting from technological improvements and an 
increased size and number of fishing gears. 

Action plan 

In relation to engine power certification and tonnage measurement the following actions are 
envisaged: 

•  Proposal  consolidating  the  tonnage  measurement  provisions  now  included  in 
Council  Regulation  (EEC)  No  2930/86  defining  the  characteristics  of  fishing 
vessels. 

•  Continued consultations with engine manufacturers and classification societies in 
order to determine the best technical solution for the certification of engine power, 
followed  by  exchanges  with  Member  States’  experts.  On  the  basis  of  these 

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discussions  the  Commission  would  put  forward  a  proposal  for  new  legal 
provisions on engine power. 

Regarding the use of fishing gear characteristics as fishing capacity and effort indicators, the 
Commission will take the following actions: 

•  Case studies. Member States have set numerous limits on fishing gear type and 
size  at  national,  regional  or  local  level.  The  experience  gained  from  the 
application of these measures would constitute a valuable basis for discussion of 
the possibility of implementing such measures at Community level. As a first task, 
the Commission would, starting in 2007, collect information from Member States 
on  the  characteristics  of  such  regimes.  A  study  to  analyse  the  results  of  one  or 
more such management schemes would follow subsequently. 

•  Consultation  with  Member  States,  stakeholders  and  scientists.  During  2007 
the  Commission  intends  to  initiate  a  series  of  contacts  and  meetings  with 
stakeholders and scientists in order to identify fisheries suitable for applying the 
new types of capacity or effort limitations mentioned in this Communication. The 
Scientific,  Technical  and  Economic  Committee  for  Fisheries  (STECF)  will  be 
requested to provide advice on specific aspects of the assessment of fishing effort 
on the basis of fishing gear characteristics. 

•  Pilot projects. The Commission will then propose that, as a pilot exercise, some 
selected  fisheries  be  managed  on  the  basis  of  the  effort  and  capacity  indicators 
mentioned in this Communication. This may take place during 2008. 

7. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  Commission  considers  that  the  tonnage  of  fishing  vessels  is  an  appropriate  measure  of 
vessel  size,  and  consequently  a  suitable  indicator  of  fishing  capacity.  Tonnage  should 
continue  to  be  used  to  assess  the  overall  capacity  of  the  Member  States’  fishing  fleets.  The 
Commission intends to propose some small improvements to its definition, including a new 
legal text consolidating the current provisions. 

The  power  of  a  fishing  vessel  is  also  an  appropriate  indicator  of  fishing  capacity,  but  the 
effectiveness  of  current  Community  rules  is  not  satisfactory.  The  procedure  for  the 
certification  of  engine  power  needs  to  be  greatly  improved.  In  relation  to  the  use  of  fishing 
gear characteristics as fishing capacity indicators, the Commission will carry out the proposed 
action plan comprising an assessment of case studies, discussions with stakeholders and the 
implementation of pilot projects. 

The Commission considers that the measures proposed in the action plan may provide a solid 
foundation  on  which  to  base  future  decisions  on  whether,  when  and  how  fishing  gear 
characteristics  should  be  more  widely  used  as  indicators  for  fishing  capacity  and  thus  as 
management tools within the Common Fisheries Policy. 

EN 

11 

   EN